Cheers & Jeers
Courtesy of Rotary International
Cheers: Let’s be honest: most of us, when we pull into a garage to get our cars fixed, expect a male mechanic to be there to look under the hood and offer a diagnosis. Work in auto repair, maintenance and towing is one of those professions that has traditionally been considered the domain of men. But there’s no reason women can’t be equally fascinated with cars or have an aptitude for fixing them, and as an article in the 蘑菇视频 pointed out this week, increasing numbers of women are working in the auto repair sector. In 1999, only a little more than 1% of women worked in that field, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, but that number was at 12% as of 2022, and there’s no reason to believe it won’t go higher. Becky Tom, who co-owns EQ Muffler in Uniontown, recounted how one older customer insisted on speaking to a man in the shop, even though Tom is qualified to work on vehicles. We think – and hope – this kind of sexism will soon be a part of the past.
Cheers: It’s stunning to realize now, but women were only allowed to become members of the service organization Rotary International in 1989, almost 70 years after they won the right to vote in the United States. But they have advanced quickly in the Rotary ranks. Kathy Sabol, executive director of the Washington County Bar Association, is president of Washington’s Rotary Club, and Stephanie Urchick, a Monessen native, became president of Rotary International last week. She will hold the title for a year, and during those 12 months will travel around the world promoting Rotary membership and the projects that the organization undertakes, such as vaccination, environmental protection and polio eradication. One of Urchick’s goals is increasing Rotary membership, and with more members leaving or dying off than joining, that is a particularly urgent task. But given Urchick’s long membership in Rotary and her dedication to Rotary’s mission, increasing its membership seems a task to which she is particularly well-suited.
Jeers: Cats are lovable creatures, but sometimes they can be troublesome, and one feline in particular has caused a whole lot of woe for April Sloane, Washington County’s controller. After being charged with animal cruelty last year in connection to the death of her pet dog, Sloane’s bond was revoked Wednesday after she was accused of “harboring” a cat in the North Strabane apartment of her boyfriend, which she had recently moved into. Being there in the presence of a pet was “a flagrant violation” of her bond, according to Leslie Ridge, Washington County’s first assistant district attorney. After a short stay in jail, Sloane came up with the $150,000 cash bond, and is awaiting trial in September. Sloane should have stepped down last year after she was charged, and the need for her to do so now is clearer than ever.